Lotus Eaters
by bunnypoop
Summary: Ereri fluff... with an unexpected twist. Pairing: Levi x Eren / Ereri


**DISCLAIMER: **SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 7.. I guess.. I don't think anything else is a spoiler.. unless I'm spoiling something that hasn't happened yet.. lol.

* * *

Warmth.

Soft lips trailed down the nape of his neck, sending pleasant tingles throughout his body. Strong arms wrapped around his abdomen, holding his figure flush against the other's bare skin. Eren turned to look at the form laying beside him under the goose down blankets. Impassive heather eyes gazed back at him. There was something nostalgic in those eyes, maybe even a hint of sorrow, though he could just be imagining such things.

He rolled over to face the other man, who in turn swept a strand of unruly chestnut hair from his eyes. Eren inched his head closer and brushed their lips together. "Levi…." he breathed, then sealed the gap. The two lay there for a while, feet shifting every so often, kissing sleepily, listening to the cool autumn night's breeze and village children yelling in the distance through the open window.

Eren nuzzled closer to Levi, burying his face in his chest, taking in his musky scent. "...Can I ask you something?" he whispered.

"Mmm?" Levi mumbled in response.

The gentle breeze outside began to pick up, carrying the gleeful voices of the children.

"Do you ever miss being a soldier?"

Levi paused for a moment. "...Don't ask such stupid questions." He sighed, then began to draw small circles on Eren's back with his index finger. "I've had enough of that crap for a million lifetimes." Eren smiled to himself and closed his eyes, content with the answer.

The children's shouts and laughter continued outside, their words just a bit too far out of earshot to make out, blending in with the wind. "Isn't it nice that these kids won't have to grow up in fear of the titans?" Eren mused.

"Hmm..." Levi yawned, not really paying heed to his senseless prattle. "Go to sleep Eren."

Eren sighed, pulling the blankets off of their heads and tucking them cozily under his chin. Moonlight flowed through the open window, illuminating the room in a dreamlike sort of way. "Night." he said softly, tilting his head up to place a small kiss upon Levi's cheek before nestling back into his chest again.

The breeze coming off the mountains carried the warm scents of a household's cooking, still lingering in the air from that evening, the tall pines down by the lake, and the sounds of the children's boisterous chanting. "rr...rr...r …." what were they saying?

"Levi?"

"What Eren."

"… N-never mind..." Eren closed his eyes once more, trying to clear his mind.

The wind began to blow in gentle gusts, rustling the sheer curtains in the room. "...gr.. ae... r..!" He could just barely make out what they were chanting now.. was it.. no.. "Jaeger! Jaeger! Jaeger!"

"Levi.. why are those kids shouting my name?"

"Eren…. what the hell are you talking about. Just go to sleep"

"You don't hear that….?"

"It's probably just the wind, now stop bothering me, I'm sleeping" Levi grumbled.

"Jaeger! Jaeger! Jaeger!" The children's voices were now quite crystal.

"How can you not hear that?" Eren asked, perplexed, sitting up to peer out the window into the streets below. Nobody was there. All but a few of the cottages lights were out for it was nearing midnight. Eren scanned the streets one more time, there were clearly no signs of any children. He looked back at Levi, who had one eye cracked open, glaring irritably at him.

"Eren, nothing is making any goddamn sound. Either calm down and go to sleep or leave the room so I can at least get some."

Eren huffed and glanced out the window once more, the chanting seemed to have faded and now he was beginning to question weather it really was just the wind and his weariness playing tricks on him. He snuggled back back up to Levi who wrapped his arms around him once more. "Sorry." Eren whispered "You're right it was probably nothing."

Levi grumbled something inaudible, Eren was sure it was some sort of well meant insult. His eyes drifted shut and he listened to his other's even, rhythmic heartbeats.

_ Thump thump_

_ Thump thump_

_ Thump thump_

Or were they footfalls….

_ Thump thump_

_ Thump thump_

_ Thump thump_

"…..Levi?"

"_What Eren!?_"

"….Is this… real?"

"Eren, what the fuck is _wrong_ with you tonight?! You sound like an imbecile! Is _what_ real!? Stop asking such stupid questions and go to sleep!" Levi hissed.

The wind was now gusting quite hard, with the merriment of the children on it's tongue. "_Jaeger! Jaeger! Jaeger!_".

"How the hell do you not hear that!?" Eren whined, taking Levi's warm hand in his own. His hand… but that was…

_ Thump thump_

"Levi…"

_ Thump thump_

"….you died… didn't you" Eren said quietly.

_ Thump thump_

He began to feel a dull ache in his chest, reminiscent of something had experienced long ago, in a different time. Levi merely stared back with his usual cold, unamused expression. The wind had ceased completely and the air was heavy with a peaceful apathy.

_ Thump thump_

Suddenly the figment around him vanished. Everything was hot. Burning. Scalding vapor stung his open wounds, causing his body to writhe and convulse with the sudden shock. He was being wrenched from the bindings of muscle and tissue that fused him to the titan's body. He felt weak, as if he had been asleep for a very long time. His body ached and his eyes couldn't yet focus. He could smell blood.

"Eren!" a familiar voice sobbed. The last of the fused sinew was cut loose and his face was immediately smothered in something soft. He opened his still weary eyes. Red. A scarf? …Mikasa?

"Hurry! There's a 15m class and a 10m class headed this way!" a blur of a salt and pepper haired man yelled. Jean? "The left squadron has already been picked off, we have no back up!"

_ Thump thump_

"They're getting closer! Quickly! We have to get him back to the wall!" another man shouted. Eren felt himself being shifted. "On my mark!". And suddenly they were airborne. He still couldn't summon enough energy to keep his eyes open but managed to glance around at his surroundings for a brief second. The city was in ruins. Titans were tearing soldiers limb from limb before devouring them. Everything was compete chaos.

And for a moment he wondered to himself.. which delusion would he rather reside.

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**AN: Oh my god... this is my first fanfiction! I never write.. I never write anything actually.. I hope I did already. Totally open to constructive feedback! I really liked the idea of the whole Lotus Eater theory thing with the titans.. it seems pretty probable. Obviously some of the events in this.. like the suggestion of Levi's death... don't actually happen (hopefully ;A;) but I thought it would be a good twist...? So yeah um... I hope you liked it c:**

**P.S. Ugh I wish you could do more formatting things on this.. at first when the kids are chanting and Eren couldn't quite hear them I had the text just really tiny but it won't let me do that here UGH! Oh well lol.**


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